Don't Listen To Them What Do They Know?
by Phoenix089
Summary: Everybody has a snapping point, and when Orihime reaches hers, Ulquiorra isn't quite sure what he can do to help. That doesn't mean he doesn't try though.


Finally. _Finally_. I managed to write another UlquiHime Fic (Albeit, a short one). I can't even begin to tell you guys how much I miss writing for them.

And the below quote is what inspired this drabble. I hope that you'll like it! 

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><p><em>Why can't they understand<em> _the way we feel_? _They just don't trust_ _what they can't explain_. _I know we're different but, __deep inside us_, w_e're not that different at all._

_You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins_

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><p>At the sound of the door slamming with more force than was necessary, Ulquiorra's head jerked up from the book he'd been reading. It only took him another millisecond before he realised that something was wrong – dreadfully wrong, in fact, because Orihime was standing just behind the door, her entire body quivering. She hadn't even taken her shoes off yet.<p>

In the next instant, Ulquiorra had slipped from the couch on which he'd been reclining, book completely forgotten, and crossed the room, his sharp eyes flickering over Orihime's form as he checked for injury. Her mouth was tight, and her eyebrows were scrunched together with either anger, or in concentration to fight off whatever she was trying to hold in. Her hands were in tight fists at her side, but they were trembling. She was unharmed though, and Ulquiorra allowed himself some semblance of relief at that, even if it made her arrival all the more disconcerting.

Hands fluttering over Orihime's shoulders uncertainly, he asked, "What is it?" and, silently, Ulquiorra assured himself that he would find whoever was responsible for upsetting the Woman so, and make them _regret_ it.

Slowly, Orihime's eyes shifted from the floor up to meet Ulquiorra's. The next second, she'd taken hold of his shirt collar and _pulled_ so that their lips connected painfully. It was not the first time they'd kissed – Certainly not – But it differed from all their other kisses greatly. Usually, when Orihime kissed him, it was a slow caress. Warm. Indulgent.

This … There was an edge of desperation in the way that Orihime was pressing up into him, and Ulquiorra decided he did not care for this kind of kiss. Gently, he took hold of Orihime's shoulders and pulled back, his eyes looking down at her reproachfully. They narrowed briefly when he realised that the corners of her eyes were glimmering with unshed tears.

"That is not answering my question."

Huffing out a sigh, Orihime picked up the bag of groceries she'd dropped and kicked off her shoes, sliding past Ulquiorra as if she hoped that ignoring the question would make him stop.

"Woman," he said, warningly. Since his appearance in the human world all those months ago, Orihime hadn't shied away from telling him anything – _anything_, and the fact that she was trying to do so now … It … Unsettled him.

Orihime's reaction was to slam the grocery bag down on the bench top, and Ulquoirra very nearly flinched at the sudden aggressiveness in the move. Her words were what he focused on though, "It's just – Why can't they _understand_?" she all but shouted at the leek's peeping out from the bag.

Ulquiorra said nothing, but his mouth tightened imperceptibly at the words. They? Who exactly were they? Her nakama? Other humans? … Soul Society? And what was it that they couldn't understand? The words were too vague for Ulquiorra to glean any information at all.

Orihime jammed her fingers into her bangs, and Ulquiorra had been with her long enough now to understand that it was a move she did when she was frustrated – But that just begged the question, yet again, of who? _WHO _was it that had upset his Woman so?

"Orihime?" he asked, approaching her cautiously. The last time Ulquiorra had seen her this upset had been because of some callous words he'd said, and her reaction then had been to slap him. He understood the reasoning behind that reaction now, but it didn't make him any clearer about how to proceed with a clearly emotional Orihime – And, he suspected, he never would be particularly good at it.

Frowning, Ulquiorra thought back to the horrible movie she'd put on the other night. When the woman in that movie had been upset, her male counterpart had been able to comfort her – or at least get her to explain what had been troubling her…

Sighing softly to himself, Ulquiorra brought his hands up to where hers were digging into her scalp, and, slowly, he brought them down so that they were held between the two of them. And then, he waited. He hated doing so, because he just wanted to _know_, but … He was slowly learning that there were times when it was best to simply wait.

After a moment – A moment that seemed to go on for much longer than any right it had to – Orihime looked up at him. He quirked an eyebrow at her, asking without uttering a word.

"It's … Soul Society," she said softly, pausing to chew at her lower lip before continuing, "They just don't seem to understand. You're not a _threat_. You've proven yourself trustworthy," that little pucker between her eyebrows was developing again, and Ulquiorra fought against the urge to smooth it down, "But they just don't _get_ it. Even though Rukia-chan and Kurosaki-kun _constantly_ remind them that, if it weren't for you appearing when you did we'd have all died! But, _no_, it's just not _good_ enough for them! And-"

Orihime stopped abruptly as Ulquiorra pressed two fingers to her mouth. "It will take more than a few months of good behaviour before an archaic society such as the Shinigami could accept the _idea_ of a Hollow that is not dangerous."

"But, it's not fair," Orihime muttered under the pad of Ulquiorra's fore and middle fingers, tears pooling at the corner of her eyes again. In some distant part of his mind, Ulquiorra wished he knew the exact words that would make them disappear. The only thing that he knew was the truth.

"Things involving them seldom are," he said, and then added, "It doesn't matter."

Orihime jerked back at the words, and that infuriated look was on her face again, and Ulquoirra briefly wondered if he'd said the wrong thing – again.

"How can you say that?" Orihime asked, her eyes wide with emotions Ulquiorra couldn't understand, "Because of them –"

"It doesn't matter. It's _irrelevant_," he repeated, taking hold of her hands again and tugging her close, holding her there as he pressed his forehead against hers. "Because _you_ know what I am. What do I care for the Shinigami and their reservations? Let them think what they will – I couldn't care less. I only need _you_ to believe in me."

As Orihime burst into tears, Ulquiorra felt a brief moment of frustration – What was it that he'd said? – but that quickly changed to confusion as Orihime pulled her hands free to wrap them tightly around Ulquiorra's waist, ducking her head so that it was buried into her chest as her shoulders shook.

Frowning uncertainly, Ulquiorra raised a hand so that it came to rest between her shoulder-blades. Without his being aware of it, his fingers stroked soothingly up and down. Slowly, the Woman's quiet sniffles faded into nothing and her shoulders stopped trembling beneath his hand.

"You're right," Orihime said softly, turning her head so that her cheek was pressed into his chest instead. Ulquiorra would ask about what, but he presumed she'd explain momentarily. And that she did, "It doesn't matter what they think. It just makes me so mad that they're being so _difficult_ though."

"Clearly."

Orihime pulled back to give him an unimpressed look, but it was rendered pointless when Orihime's lips pulled into a warm smile, apparently against her will. Seconds later, she shook her head, laughed softly to herself, and then pushed herself up onto her toes to leave a gentle,warm, _right_ kiss on Ulquiorra's mouth.

"I love you, you know. That's why it frustrates me so," she sighed, still close enough that Ulquiorra felt the shape her lips made with each word on his mouth. And he knew that – She made a point to tell him that she did every day. Which was yet another thing he couldn't understand – Why did she feel the need to remind him daily? He was aware of how she felt without her saying it so often. And, though the words were entirely human – Vapid. Unnecessary. Feeble – Ulquiorra was inclined to believe that Orihime knew that he thought of her in the same way.

Without giving it much thought, Ulquiorra took hold of Orihime's hand, twined their fingers together, and brought their joined hands up so that it rested on the left side of his chest. The action never failed to make Orihime smile, and Ulquiorra felt it as her lips curled this time too.

"Come along," he said eventually, "You may as well put another one of those horrible movies on."

That elicited a soft laugh from Orihime, before she kissed him again briefly and darted over to crouch in front of her DVD's, her hand hovering between two indecisively. Sighing softly, Ulquiorra fell back onto the couch, mentally preparing himself for two hours of boredom.

But, he conceded as he eyed the grin on Orihime's face as she made a decision, the boredom was well worth it if it could bring a smile to her face. He'd probably be willing to do just about anything as long as it made her smile like that.

And maybe _that_ was what this 'Love' thing was about, in the end. 

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><p>So, what did you think? Hopefully that put a smile on your face at least, seeing as that's the point of fluff =)<p> 


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